General FAQs about uChek

1. Why is urine tested?Urine can say a lot about the health of humans and pets. Urine analysis using commercially available test strips (often referred to as "dipsticks") can provide semi-quantitative concentration of analytes like glucose, protein, ketones, urobilinogen, bilirubin, specific gravity, blood, pH, leukocytes and nitrites. This is an example of an in vitro diagnostic test, and often provides useful information about the status of carbohydrate metabolism, kidney and liver function, acidbase balance and bacteruria. A typical application for dipsticks is checking for urinary tract infections, for example. Above the renal threshold, glucose may be present in the urine of diabetics. The presence of proteins or ketones may also indicate certain complications. In particular,nephropathies and ketoacidosis are complications of diabetes that need to be avoided. In general, many bladder, liver and kidney disorders are diagnosed using urine testing. Analysis of urine test strips using automated urine test strip analyzers is a well established clinical practice.

2. Why do I need an automated strip reader anyway? Can't the strip be assessed by visual inspection and comparing with the color chart provided by the manufacturer of the strips?A strip reader is not absolutely necessary. Visual inspection is indeed used by many people to assess the color changes in the strip. However, there are a couple of reasons why strip readers: semi-automated or automated urinalysis machines are preferred by many professionals.

a. It is not convenient to read 8 or more parameters visually, in sequence, with a 120 second timer ticking. Different color pads need to be checked against the reference colors and each corresponding parameter needs to be noted at precisely 30, 40, 45, 60 etc seconds. These timings are important as these are the times at which the reaction matures for specific chemicals on the strip. After this the colors and reference colors against the parameter values on the chart may not match, and therefore, reading at the wrong time means getting the wrong result.

3. What does the uChek system consist of?The uChek system consists of a smartphone with the pre-installed app (The uChek App) and a peripheral (The Cuboid). Check here for more details on how it works.

4. What are urine dipsticks?A urine dipstick is a strip of paper which has different test pads impregnated with different chemicals which change colour when dipped in urine. The colour change helps identify the concentration of different analytes in urine. Commercially available urine dipsticks can give information of upto twelve analytes in urine.

5. Why do I need the uChek peripheral (Cuboid)?The Cuboid is an enclosure with a designated placement area for the smartphone, a tray into which slots the strip and an aperture through which your phone camera can peep at the strip inside.

The Cuboid is important for 2 reasons:a. It helps the smartphone camera to identify the colour change correctly in your urine dipstick by correcting for local illumination conditions. It will automate the tedious process of manually checking the urine dipsticks at specific time periods for the colour change. b. The Cuboid's setup prevents errors associated with movement of the phone, or stray shadows that may affect the image processing. It has been carefully designed to perform, in conjunction with the uChek app, the function of a semi-automated urinalysis system.

6. How accurate is uChek?uChek is comparable in accuracy to many commercially available semi-automated urinalysis machines, when used correctly. Check here for more information on accuracy and usability studies conducted with uChek.

7. Can I download the uChek app from the Play Store, onto any Android phone?No, at this point in time, the uChek app is only compatible with select Android phones, and is not available for download from the Play Store. It is only possible to get the uChek app pre-installed with phones purchased from Biosense.

8. How do I buy dipsticks for use with uChek?Urinalysis reagent strips are available for sale through links within the uChek app and the Web application to manage your account.

9. Is uChek compatible with all types of urine dipsticks?As of date, uChek is compatible with Siemens and Biosense dipsticks. If you are a manufacturer interesting in making their brand of dipsticks compatible with the uChek system, kindly contact us.10. Can I use the uChek app on any phone?The application is designed for use with select Android phones. The system ships pre-installed from Biosense.

11. My urine dipstick samples have run out. Where can I buy more dipsticks?You can use the uChek app or your web account with uChek to order, or you can check with your local pharmacy for availability.